See and Believe
by Great Mistake
Summary: Mario and Luigi are forced to give up. Princess Peach cannot.


**Gosh. It's been a while, huh?  
**

 **This lil' one-shot here is courtesy of my old-self. I came up with the idea a couple years back and only recently found it lurking in my hard drive unfinished. I granted it some mercy, resulting in the one-shot I present to you all today.  
I skimmed a bit during the final read-through after spending 3 straight days on this bad boy, so, hey, if you see something, say something.  
**

 **And as always,  
Criticism or not, all reviews are welcome!**

* * *

There is nothing more miserable than watching the hollow shell of what once was trudge along day after day. All that was suddenly vanishes, and all color evaporates. To lose hope, in short, is to lose humanity. And although he could not pinpoint it, Mario lost his humanity long ago. **  
**

At first it was more of a game he played with himself. When he rose with the sun he would race outside to look for disturbed soil that signified the return of the pipe. The very pipe that brought him and his brother here. But, days passed, then weeks, and after years of doing the same thing every morning, he considered it no longer worth his time. Mario stopped. His choices usually never affected Luigi's, but it was then that the two lost their hope simultaneously. The Mario Brothers never learned if losing hope classified too as moving on, but they pretended it did.

Princess Peach, in all her wisdom, tried her best to understand what it is like to be an alien to another world. Humans and Toads are exceptionally different, but whereas the Toads worshiped the Toadstool family and housed them in a grand castle for years, Mario's family has not. In the depths of her heart she knew she could not completely understand what it was like have her home taken from her for as long as the Mario Brothers had. She tried her best, and from time to time she showed her sympathies. Often it earned a polite smile from her heroes, and she considered this an understanding enough. At least, an understanding to the fundamental side of it. Her best understanding lied with the political side of it.

Although never fully experienced by the Princess herself, she was well aware of the advantages humans possessed in her realm – advantages that Mario and Luigi said were impossible to obtain in their world. Gravity, mushrooms, and various plants (when in the body) all work together to give its human host super strength and wondrous abilities. The brothers have since mastered these abilities, using them against the belligerent forces of the Dark Lands. The power of one hundred members of the Royal Guard paled in comparison to Mario's powers. And, statistically, King Bowser's attacks came to a virtual halt after Mario and Luigi's first couple of missions. The Koopas knew what they were up against, and for a moment it seemed like they actually feared it. Princess Peach knew the pipe and its unlikely return meant everything to Mario and Luigi, but it would mean more to the kingdom if the pipe never returned. For many years, it looked like the pipe never would.

"Your highness! A word, please."

Princess Peach strayed from her path and faced the castle guard. All guards received specific training that taught them to remain stolid when idle, but this guard's expression was oddly worrisome. "Is there a problem?"

"A bit. You may want to sit down."

She clicked her tongue. "I assure you, I will be fine. Tell me what's wrong."

The nameless guard shifted his weight between his feet. "The warp pipe . . . has returned your highness."

Peach paled. Collecting her thoughts at once, she cleared her throat. "I hope you know that it is _rude_ to make such jokes."

"No, your highness. This is no joke. While a group of harvesters worked in the mainland this morning they noticed it. They suspect it appeared last night, but no one can be sure. Other servants ventured out to investigate. We could hear . . . _sounds_ from the other end. I learned this recently . . . I'm sorry. I thought Toadsworth that relayed this to you by now."

Princess Peach pursed her lips. "He did not . . . I doubt even he knows." Her eyes wandered across the floor. "Where are Mario and Luigi?"

The guard stared at her, befuddled. "Why?"

She grit her teeth. "It is their way back home!" She looked around them carefully. The hallway was clear. The last thing she wanted was for word to get out and reach Mario. "If they know the pipe has returned then – "

"I can't be sure. If you wish I can send some of my men to bring them to the castle. Otherwise . . ."

She shook. "Yes. Yes, that will work. I want Mario and Luigi here by nightfall, so I can tell them myself."

He nodded. "Right away, your highness." The guard scurried down the hall.

* * *

A heavy knock at the door disturbed Mario and Luigi's peaceful evening. Members of the Royal Guard waited for them outside, instructing Mario and Luigi to follow them to the castle, if they would please. Luigi pardoned them and asked to stay behind. He then sneezed and coughed into his elbow. The guards found this reason enough. Mario proceeded alone.

Whenever the brothers were normally summoned, they would follow the guards down the same path leading to the castle's drawbridge, where another set of guards would greet them to lead them to their destination. During the evening, Toad Town was nowhere near as busy as it is the rest of the day. Mario and Luigi always found this reassuring, as there was less attention dead-set on their every move. The looks they would receive were not ones of scorn, obviously, but rather ones that told the two that the town was elated to see them here and protecting the kingdom. But they were stares, nonetheless.

The guards came to a halt at the door to Princess Peach's chambers. They simultaneously knocked at the floor with their spears to alert her that her guest had arrived. A moment later, the door swung open, and she stood in a gown less luxurious than what Mario was familiar with.

"We must speak," she said. Her tone was flat, lifeless – as if Mario had committed a sorry crime. The only time he remembered her taking such a tone with him before was when they had first met in the Dark Lands, and both were near strangers to the other. "Where is Luigi?"

Before Mario could answer a guard spoke up. "He claims to be home sick this night, your highness."

She turned to the guards and nodded. At ease, they continued down the opposite way of the hall. Princess Peach took a few small steps forward before looking back at Mario. "Follow me."

Mushroom Castle looked like something straight out of a pop-out fairy-tale book. Even more so at night, with the moon reflecting off its stone walls. As beautiful as it was, it was also just as ancient. Peach's extended family had called the palace home for generations, and it felt as if with every new heir to the throne there was a respective addition to the castle. The map of the castle looked more like a maze to Mario. Although he came to the castle upon request and stayed overnight many times, he was always sure that unless following a guard of some sort, he would end up lost in one of its many wings.

The Princess finally led him outside of the castle and out to the gardens. She kept unnaturally quiet. Mario's efforts to get any sort of response from her failed, for her only constant reply was only a disinterested hum.

Their destination was in fact beyond the boundaries of the gardens, Mario soon realized. "Where are we –"

Now she finally replied. "I have something to show you, Mario."

"What is it?"

She said nothing else. He sighed and followed her uphill to a collection of various trees either native to the kingdom or to Earth. Mario recognized a few by name. Oak, maple, olive . . . something else . . .

Peach stopped at the vines of a weeping willow. He stared at her.

With a deep inhale she finally spoke again. "Do you remember Bowser's latest attack?"

Mario blinked. "Yes. Why?"

"Do you remember the multitude of airships he used that day?"

He looked to the side of her for a moment to remember. "Yes . . . Why?"

"I received word that not all those airships had orders to only to fire at us. When one of our canons shot one down we recovered a package of seeds that survived the fire." She reached into a hand-made and neatly sown pocket on the side of her dress and pulled from it a small pouch. She untied the string that kept it closed. "While attacking us from the air, many ships were dumping these seeds off board." Shaking the contents of the pouch out into her palm, she presented to him three seeds. Mario thought of them like sunflower seeds in shape and color, but instead of white striped, it had white spots on its shell. She closed her hand into a fist before Mario could take one.

"These are Piranha Plant seeds," she continued dutifully. "They are native to various swampy regions, but can sustain life in even the most extreme temperatures." Peach placed the seeds back in the pouch and the pouch back in her pocket. "All they need is a little water and sunlight, but even then they can thrive in shade." She pulled back the hanging branches of the weeping willow and the two stepped into its shade.

Under its branches, there lay a matured Piranha Plant. Its head nodded back and forth, assuring Mario that it was resting. He followed its trail of roots poking up from the otherwise well-cared-for grass. Some of the plant's roots collided with the tree's, fighting over the best spots to gain more water.

"Soon after the attack, there were a few reports of Piranha Plants blooming in the main lands and in the yards of some residents. No one was hurt, however –"

"Bowser is trying to attack from the inside," Mario said.

Princess Peach nodded. "Most of the plants recovered were cut down before they could grow thorns. Others are in captivity for research, such as Old Red here." She faced him. "We have no idea what Bowser has planned next, but from what we learned this was merely a test run."

"A test run," he repeated, pensive. What did Bowser have planned now? And if this was a test run, then what else would the next fleet of airships bring?

A hiss sounded from the tree. The leaves and grass started to rustle around the two. With what sounded like the crack of a whip, a thorny root extended to wrap around the ankle of the Princess. She gasped. The roots shifted as they tightened around her. Old Red must have heard them.

"Stand still," Mario whispered. "It can mistake you for a branch if you. _Stand. Still_."

"No it can't," she breathed. "The roots and stems are sensitive to heat. It knows what it grabs."

And suddenly the plant dragged her away screaming. Mario entered a state of near panic before running all the ways to kill it through his mind. The head is its weakest spot, and without it, it could not function with only stems and roots. Some of the most common ways to kill it required the help of a power-up plant, but many were in the gardens and out of reach now. A physical attack was not out of the question, but that would end with a few cuts and bruises on his end.

 _Then again, did that ever really matter?_

" _Mario! Help!"_ The plant held Peach over its mouth by her ankles. She was more focused on keeping her dress down than wriggling free.

 _There was always a 1-UP nearby._

Mario ran behind it, looking for something that would distract it and drop the Princess. With enough precision he would be able to get her away from its mouth. Unlike the other plants he's encountered, however, this one didn't seem to be salivating. He shrugged this off. Next to his feet was a dead root belonging to the willow tree. It was too weak to keep the mouth of the plant open long enough to set her free, but it was just right for poking at Old Red. He grabbed it, and shoved it down the jaws of the plant, choking it momentarily and surprising it enough to drop Peach. Mario lunged, catching her in time. The plant jolted and twitched while its roots found their way to its mouth to dislodge the root. Mario and Peach landed on safely on the grass. Before they could stand another whip-like crack rang out. Mario felt the roots of the plant tighten around his ankle now. It felt like a small rubber band cutting off all circulation in his foot. He supposed the plant was furious by now.

Princess Peach reached out for him as it dragged him away but he refused. Another root grabbed his other leg. The thorns started to cut through his clothes and into his flesh, but the sting wasn't enough to hinder him. Reaching for a fallen tree branch, he again shoved it into the mouth of the plant before it swallowed him whole. He freed himself of its grasp and pulled off a thorn. The thorns of a Piranha Plant are much like a rose – sharp and prickly. But a rose thorn was malleable, a Piranha Plant's was not. Various daggers and old knives used the sharp tips of the thorns, and with one swipe, while the plant fidgeted around, its head rolled.

Breathing heavily, he looked down at his palm. Light bleeding. Same for his ankles. Nothing fatal. Before he could ask the Princess if she was alright he found that the first thing out of his mouth was, "Why did you keep this here?"

"Research," she said sullenly. She kept her head down and wrapped her arms around her like she was cold. Her voice wasn't as serious as it was earlier that night, but more sad than anything.

"These are very dangerous. You know that. It should be contained, not out in the open." Mario suddenly felt that he were scolding a child instead of a Princess.

"The kingdom needs you, Mario."

He stared at her back. "What?"

"This kingdom needs you. More than anything."

He approached her cautiously.

" _I_ need you."

"What are you talking about?"

Princess Peach grabbed her head and sighed. Mario couldn't tell if she was this way out of sadness or if she was simply tired, or what made her this way.

"The pipe."

And like that his heart dropped.

"The pipe came back this morning."

And a wave of anger crashed into him. All at once that wave brought about rage with a hint of confusion. He could only stare at her.

"I was hoping you didn't know."

"You knew I didn't."

She looked up at him. Her eyes puffed with tears but her voice remained as solemn as possible. "Admittedly, it was an awful thing to hide from you, but do you understand how much you mean to us? Before you and your brother ever appeared there was … no hope. We were all afraid of Bowser. Deathly afraid of him. And you, you changed that. Now he's afraid of us. After all these years, we are finally just as strong as them."

"Did you lie about his newest plan, too?"

"No, this is all true. He's only been getting stronger, that Bowser. To fight you. Old Red stayed here for research purposes, but even if it attacked us it wouldn't have digested. We cut out whatever glands produced its acids to digest meat – that's why it didn't salivate when it grabbed me."

Mario only stood there.

She took his hand. "Mario, please, try to understand. I know that this pipe doesn't have much time back, but we need you both to stay."

Time. _Time._ How much time was left until it retracted back into the ground? Before it stayed less than a minute. And did she say it appeared this morning? That was nearly ten hours ago. It can't possibly still be here, but then why would Princess Peach pull this stunt unless it still was. Maybe it was. Maybe it could bring them back. Maybe it could -

He pulled his hand back.

"Is that all I am to you and your kingdom?" He sneered. "A line of defense?"

He pivoted and started down the path to Toad Town. It didn't take long for him to break out into a sprint, and then a full run.

" _Mario! Wait!"_

* * *

Luigi stared. He didn't know what he was feeling. How long he had been standing there. If it was morning, night, or some version of an in between. The world could end right then, and he wouldn't even flinch.

Whatever brought him to the pipe – his restlessness brought on by his cold, a sliver of hope, intuition – he thanked it. He must have touched the rim of the pipe a thousand times to assure himself, it was here. It was real.

"Hey."

Luigi turned around. Before laying eyes on his brother he looked out to the horizon. The night sky tainted with the colors of dawn. How long _was_ he there? And when did Mario come back? Luigi rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. They were wet with tears.

"Hey," he said. He turned back around.

Mario shoved his hands into his pockets and stood next to Luigi. He was apt to start crying himself.

"What did Princess Peach want?" Luigi sniffled.

"Nothing." He shook his head. "Nothing important."

Luigi glanced over the cuts and tears on Mario's pants. He could scold Mario for lying later.

Mario put his arm around his brother. Luigi felt a great pressure in his chest and a lump in his throat. More tears rolled down his cheeks.

If they listened close enough, they could hear the echo of cars driving by. It wasn't cold outside that night, but the brothers shook.

He sniffled again. "Do you want to go first?"

* * *

It came with no warning. It never did. Reports of airships headed towards the castle reached the Royal Committee, an elected group of twelve officials to work the kingdom's government, just as the shadows of the fleet crossed over the boarder of the kingdom. The army was promptly alerted, then readied. Not soon after was the question thrown around: "Where's Mario?"

The same guard that relayed the news of the pipe's return to Princess Peach stood in front of her again. He looked just as worried as he did the other day. The Princess wondered if his leader knew. "Does he know that Bowser is attacking?"

She nodded. "He knows what Bowser has planned."

"Then where –"

"Please, go find your respective team and get behind a canon." She looked around for Toadsworth. "We need all the power we can get."

The guard saluted. He ran down the emptied hallway to the stairs. All servants had reported to the fallout shelter below ground. Princess Peach had orders to do the same. Instead she headed into the conference room, where the Royal Committee usually met. Inside she found four members, including Toadsworth, sitting at the table with their heads in their hands.

When the doors opened they all looked up at the Princess. Toadsworth was the first one to jump out of his chair. "Where are Masters Mario and Luigi? They are usually the first ones to arrive in a state such as this!"

Peach's eyes fell to the head of the army sitting in the far back. "Sir, we have no time to spare!"

"Oh, believe me, your highness, I know. What with Mario and Luigi being as late as they are, you'd think they must'a got lost in hell." He stood. "The army is rounded and ready – my chiefs took care of that – but we're waiting on our main line." He grumbled, "If they ever get here."

"Well, you will have to go on without them. Bowser won't wait."

The army official headed for the door. "You get to the fallout shelter, Princess. Once our boys get here it won't take long." He walked out.

Toadsworth stared at Peach while she watched him leave. "And where are they?"

She looked to the other two remaining members. "To your posts, then!" They both stood and ran out, grabbing whatever papers were theirs. Now she faced Toadsworth. She exhaled. "Mario and Luigi won't be coming back."

"What –"

"The pipe, Toadsworth. The pipe returned yesterday." She rubbed her forehead. "They left. I know they left."

Toadsworth's beady eyes were wide with fear. The Princess feared that she almost gave her advisor a heart attack. "Left? Are you sure? I sent a messenger to retrieve them almost twenty minutes ago! They can't be gone!"

She felt herself start to choke on her words. "Why would they stay?"

"No. No, no, they are simply late. You hear me? _Late._ And once the first shot leaves Bowser's canons I assure you they will –"

The castle suddenly shook. Peach grabbed the chair closest to her before she fell. Toadsworth nearly hit his head on the tableside. There was the first shot.

Princess Peach tried to balance herself as quickly as possible.

"Princess! To the fallout shelter at once!"

She started running down the hall way towards the balcony. Toadsworth regained his composure and followed her with his cane in tow.

She stood there watching the army fight with whatever ammo they had. The airships took barely any damage. This was a disaster, she thought. If only she never told him about that pipe, he would have been too hopeless to check for himself and he would have been fighting alongside them as he always was. She gripped the railing of the balcony with enough force to break it apart. It was painful to watch her soldiers fall helplessly. And there she stayed, holding onto whatever last breaths of hope she had left. Princess Peach tried her best to pinpoint exactly where she lost her humanity, but she never knew exactly which fallen soldier caused it.

Everything blurred suddenly.

Her grip on the railing loosened and her head felt light. She could only feel her knees buckling underneath her. The last thing that she witnessed was a bright orange speck colliding with an airship and it erupting into flames.


End file.
